A festive tale all about family at Christmastime 🎄

Natasha is heading home to Ballyclare for Christmas and is hoping that her hopes of romance are going to become a reality. Sadly, this doesn’t happen and instead she is left facing the prospect of losing the family home that she loves so much. Natasha’s sister Doon is also facing her own dilemmas, she’s getting married but is she truly happy? And Mum Aileen is trying to come to terms with the fact that Ballyclare is falling victim to subsidence and that losing their beloved family home is a very real possibility.

With the three women back home together for Christmas, will they be able to come up with a plan to save their house or will it be their last Christmas at Ballyclare?

This book was full of heart, full of warmth and full of festive sparkle. All three of the main characters, whilst they had their flaws, were such lovely people. I really liked how they strengthened their bonds and became closer to each other as the book went on. I loved the message of doing what makes you happy, regardless of what others might think/say. It’s all about taking the leap and doing what is best for you. Overall, a really lovely family oriented book with little sprinkles of romance thrown in along the way.

A delightful and cosy christmas read with a gorgeous setting and wonderful characters. I really enjoyed my time reading this one.

Beautifully written book , set in Wicklow which comes alive to the reader .
Aileen and her two adult daughters, come together in the family home for one last Christmas. .The house has problems which unfortunately there is no money to fix, This book is an enjoyable read , encompassing the importance of friends and family
Highly Recommended

I loved Bell’ effortless flow of writing and the pace with which they unveiled “things”. I couldn’t put this book down. It’s cozy, festive and heartwarming and moreover, beautifully written.

🎧Audiobook Review🎧

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Thank you to NetGalley for approving me for an ARC of this book. I have loved Emily Bell's previous stories so I was excited to listen to this one.

🥰Cosy
💞Family
🗣️Multiple POV
🎁Traditions

This was an enjoyable and easy listen about families coming together. Secrets, grief and family are at the heart of this story.

⭐⭐⭐⭐

Loved this book. Haven't read anything from this author before. The descriptions of christmas in Ballyclare were excellent would love to be there. Lovely characters and a constantly moving storyline

⭐️ 3 ⭐️

Many thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the eARC, in exchange for an honest, unbiased review.

Last Christmas at Ballyclare is well-written with good characterisation, authentic dialogue, and an intriguing storyline.
 
I didn’t get a particularly festive vibe from the book and found parts a little slow, but it still made for an entertaining read.

This is a story of two sisters and their mam, it shows how they grow together and solve their problems, I ddnt really warm to the daughters abut thats just personal traits, all in all a good festive read

Aileen and her daughters Doon who is engaged to Ciarán, and Natasha, ready to let her friend Ben know how she feels before he leaves her at the airport, gather for what could be their last Christmas in their beloved home, Ballyclare.
Told from the perspective of each of the women, this is at times sad, but also incredibly heartwarming. The Wicklow setting is stunning, with beautifully worded descriptions that deposit you in the Wicklow hills it's hard not to get absorbed into life in Rathowen.
This is what I would describe as the ultimate Christmas cheese. It reminds me of Ireland's version of a Hallmark Christmas Movie & I thoroughly enjoyed it.

Natasha returns home to Ballyclare and is looking forward to spending Christmas with her mother Aileen and sister Doon. However, the news she receives on arrival is not what she was expecting.

As Christmas looks like being a washout this year, the 3 of them start looking at their lives and try to work out what they can do to help.

Add in family and friends, a stranger and a long lost friend to the mix and you have a wonderful heartwarming and emotional Christmas read.

Thank you Michael Joseph, Penguin Random House and Netgalley for the ARC copy. I am leaving this honest review voluntarily.

Natasha returns home to Ballyclare for Christmas only to find that there is a crisis concerning her family home which may have to be sold as repairs to the old place are astronomically high. For Natasha, her mother, Aileen and sister, Doon, there are some tense times ahead but with Christmas approaching they are determined to enjoy one last Christmas at Ballyclare.

Filled with the warmth of family, and the support of friends, Last Christmas at Ballyclare is a lovely festive story which looks at the trials and tribulations of keeping an old family home safe whilst at the same time allowing each of the three women to share their hopes and fears for the future. It’s not all hearts and flowers as the story covers some serious topics but it’s all done with a lovely light touch and a fine eye for detail. I’ve really enjoyed spending time in this little Irish village, there is an abundance of festive charm, a smattering of romance and enough festive spirit to give you a lovely warm glow.

After reading glowing reviews of Emily Bell's previous two Christmas novels, she has been an author on my TBR list for a while so I was very excited to read her new book and it didn't disappoint.

I loved her writing style - it was light and easy, perfectly paced and immediately drew me in (I loved the twist in the first chapter which was totally unexpected).

The characters were well developed and I loved the story lines of each of the 3 women.

A perfectly heart-warming festive read.

I loved this story. Ballyclare is the family home to Aileen and her two adult daughters Doon and Natasha. Aileen has recently received the bad news that the Georgian house they call home is suffering from subsidence and will cost at less £200,00 to repair. It appears that this be the last Christmas they will spend in the family home. Follow the story of Christmas and the personal epiphanies all three women have as they must face the future. A great engaging read, lovable characters. A great Christmas read.. Thanks to the publishers and NetGalley for the ARC.

Such a beautiful Christmas book about family, friends and what matters at heart.

I have loved this book from start to finish and would highly recommend this book.

Thank you so much to Netgalley for giving me the chance to review this book.

A great Christmas read. Natasha and Doon return to their family home to join their mother for Christmas. At the beginning of the story everything looks bleak for all of them but then .......it is Christmas. You have to read it to enjoy the ending. It is set in Wicklow which sounds beautiful so now I want to visit.
I look forward to future books by this author.

A gloriously festive read, you can’t beat a truly wonderful Christmas with your family but will it be the last one in the only house you have lived in? I really enjoyed this story. I read it in one sitting curled up on the sofa. One of my favourite Christmas reads.

As Natasha makes her way to her childhood home for Christmas, little does she know of the troubles waiting there for her. As we meet her mum and sister, we find Christmas isn’t quite going to go as they had hoped.
However as family and friends, new and old, come together, there is hope.
This is a lovely read, the author setting the scene well, you feel you can envisage the area it is set. It is well written and I would love to read a follow up as to where all the family are a couple of years down the line.

Thanks to @netgalley and @michaeljbooks for the eARC of “Last Christmas at Ballyclare” by @emilybellwriter which is published in paperback today. I love a festive book and this was such a cosy, joyful and romantic read, that has me counting down the days to Christmas.

I loved this festive book which follows Aileen, Natasha and Doon’s points of view. The three women are very different but they are all loveable and I wanted a happily ever after for each of them. All three had their troubles and were hoping that the Christmas period will provide some solace. I particularly enjoyed Doon’s story.

“Last Christmas at Ballyclare” also shows Aileen’s backstory and why Natasha, Doon and Aileen have been affected by the past. You could really understand why they hung on to Ballyclare as a constant in their lives and were so desperate to keep their family home.

I loved the way the characters and their relationships and the family dynamics developed during the book. This was a lovely part of the story and just added an extra dimension to the book. As did the mental health representation.

The book was written beautifully and had such a great sense of place. I could really imagine myself spending Christmas at Ballyclare and walking through the snowy Wicklow Hills.

Such a lovely and cosy book that left me feeling warm and fuzzy inside. Unashamedly romantic and festive. It was a joy to read from start to finish. I’ve now read all three of Emily Bell’s festive novels and they are among my favourite Christmassy reads.

An enjoyable story about a mother and her two daughters, set over the Christmas period, where they're all at a crossroads in their lives.

Natasha works in London, but has come home to Ireland for the holidays. Doon lives in Ireland and is in the midst of planning her wedding. And their mother, Aileen, has financial troubles as she's a bit scatty regarding bills and paperwork, forgot to renew her buildings insurance, and has now found out she needs a lot of money to fix subsidence in their old house, which of course she doesn't have so they may have to sell.

The story is all about the dramas in the lives of these three women, with side characters to round it all out. I must admit, although I did enjoy the story in general, I didn't warm to either of the sisters, especially Natasha who I found very irritating!

But it all sorted itself out eventually and there was a satisfying ending.

Friends, family, unrequited love, new love, old love, and new beginnings. This book has it all!
I found it a little slow in parts, but the story was strong enough with erasers and storyline to keep me reading.
The characters grew on me as the novel progressed. Both Doon and Natasha grew up and took responsibility for their future.
This is an easy festive read with lots of heart.